The present invention relates to a holding mechanism for holding a replacement ink ribbon to be used for a printer which carries out a thermal transfer printing.
As a thermal transfer recording method, a sublimating transfer recording method, for example, has been remarked which forms an image on a thermal transfer image receiving sheet by heating a thermal transfer film having a thermal transfer layer containing a sublimating dye formed on a support body such as polyester film by means of a thermal head or laser, etc.
Since the thermal transfer film to be used for these purposes is loaded in a thermal transfer printer to be consecutively used, the thermal transfer film is used in a form of an ink ribbon having a pair of feed bobbin including wound bobbin roll and a reel bobbin for reeling. In the conventional ink ribbon, the feed bobbin having the film provided thereon and the reel bobbin are received in a cassette exclusively used for the film.
However, the above-described conventional ink ribbon is sold with the ink ribbon received in a film cassette. Thus, the price can not be reduced. Particularly, a printer instrument in these days which corresponds to an enlarged print size needs a larger film cassette, because the size of the required ink ribbon is also enlarged. Thus, the price of the ink ribbon is increased as well as resources have been wasted.
It may be considered that the feed bobbin having the film provided thereon and the reel bobbin are supplied just as they are, without using the film cassette.
However, such a form is not user-friendly, as a user may accidentally touch the film during loading the ink ribbon in the printer instrument, or the wind of the film may be slipped, etc. With a printer for business use employed in only a plant or others, there may be no problem because a technical personnel having an expertise uses the printer. However, with a household printer instrument, users are unspecified, and it is difficult to deal with an ink ribbon without using a film cassette.
An object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive holding mechanism for a replacement ink ribbon which can supply, without using a film cassette, a feed bobbin with a film provided thereon and a reel bobbin as they are, and can stably hold an ink ribbon during transportation and loading of the replacement ink ribbon.
The holding mechanism for holding a replacement ink ribbon according to the present invention comprises a feed bobbin provided at one end of a strip film and a reel bobbin provided at the other end of the strip film, comprising a first holding member having a feed bobbin receiving portion for receiving and holding the feed bobbin and a reel bobbin receiving portion for receiving and holding the reel bobbin, with the first holding member having an opening, and a second holding member having a plate-shape for covering the opening of the first holding member.
In the holding mechanism, a wind slack preventive portion may be provided in at least one of the feed bobbin receiving portion and the reel bobbin receiving portion, for preventing a rotation of the feed bobbin or the reel bobbin.
In the holding mechanism, the feed bobbin and the reel bobbin may respectively include flanges at both ends thereof, and the feed bobbin receiving portion and the reel bobbin receiving portion may include flange receiving portions for receiving the corresponding flanges.
In the holding mechanism, a lock portion may be provided at each flange receiving portion of the feed bobbin receiving portion and the reel bobbin receiving portion, which engages with a corresponding engagement portion of the flanges to function as a wind slack preventive portion.
In the holding mechanism, the first holding member may include a wind meandering preventive portion for preventing wind meandering of the strip film by contacting one side of the strip film so as to define lateral movement of the film.
In the holding mechanism, the first holding member may include a support portion that supports the first holding member such that, when the holding mechanism is disposed on a plane surface with the opening facing upward, the opening is substantially parallel with the plane surface.
In the holding mechanism, a bottom surface of the support portion may be a flat surface.
In the holding mechanism, the feed bobbin receiving portion and the reel bobbin portion of the first holding member may be so positioned that the feed bobbin receiving portion and the reel bobbin receiving portion can receive and hold the feed bobbin and the reel bobbin at an interval identical with that between the feed bobbin and the reel bobbin when printing.
In the holding mechanism, the first holding member may be formed of synthetic resin, and the second holding member may be formed of paper.
In the holding mechanism, the second holding member may have a cut-planned line at substantially the center portion thereof.
In the holding mechanism, the cut-planned line may be composed of perforations.
In the holding mechanism, the second holding member may have, on a surface facing the first holding member, an index for loading in place the replacement ink ribbon in an ink ribbon loading apparatus.